CowgirlJane

I think you need to buy the type made as cocoa. I was able to heat the ProtiDiet good and hot but I bought a tiny little wire whip from bed bath and beyond and kinda kept it stirred in the coffee cup. It tended to settle to the bottom otherwise. It wasn't heavenly good, but it was good and good protein/low carb. Where can I find the mint cocoa?

Don't know how I missed this - congrats butter you look great! My sugeon said that once you are under about 28 BMI, you have gained pretty much the health benefits associated with losing weight. Again, everybody is different, he is just saying that from a health perspective, no need to fixate on moving to the normal catagory. I would also be careful about bodyfat percentage. For our age range, I believe 25-30% is considered normal. Well, I think I am pretty muscular, I have visible muscles on back, shoulders and legs - but the home bathroom scale says my body fat is 28-29%. I would like to improve from where I am but i can't see that this info is accurate. I think that the right goal weight is some balancing act between health/looks/maintainability. That combo is different for each of us. Not everybody looks better just because they are thinner thats for sure. .

And in the end, does it matter? it is just another guess... another table... another rough guideline but in the end it is your own body and situation that should help define a goal weight. Mine touch if i cut off my circulation, if I do it comfortably, they don't quite touch. Makes sense to me - I think I do have a larger body frame but it doesn't change my opinion about the weight I look and feel good at. GG is East Indian I believe. I have several friends from India and their body types are so different then mine, I have no idea how or why they should be comparable regardless of the wrist test. The Indian women I know have tiny bone structures/narrow shoulders, do not develop much muscling even when they work out and are prone to losing their waists with age - even more so then caucasion women. In theory, it seems like they should weigh less then me due to those factors, but i don't really know. I think that she is at that phase of uncertainty.... been there, spent a long time there so I get it, but it is the mistake to set our own goals based on others. besides, you don't need that responsibility!!!!

There is this little part of me that thinks they are all liars - except Steven, for some reason I believe him...haha. Well, and he never says that I am skinny - what he tells me is that I am voluptous just the way that most men prefer women to look - including him. Most of my friends told me I was just right when I weighed "190"... then when I was "170"... so why should I believe them now, right? Actually, two of my friends have had a fairly serious talk with me. That I really am just right. My friend who helped me in Mexico hadn't seen me for awhile and was very complimentary to my looks but told me that the bony looking chest and neck was already looking a little "old" so cut it out with the thinking I need to lose more weight. I believed her for some reason. She struck my vanity cord - damn I think I would rather be a little plump then look old. I too had a negative reaction to the prancing in the size 2 post. However, it hit me, I don't need to be a size 2, I look good how I am. Some people are rightly size 2, meaning it suits their body type; however, some people just look skinny and unhealthy. I hope it is a good size/weight for her, but it is irrelevant to me. A dear friend of mine is a skinny minny. She is in her late 50s and while she has taken great care of her body and is very well groomed - I think she looks way older then her age because she has like zero body fat - that is not sexy or even healthy looking in my eyes. She looks like a broomstick to be honest. She is about 5'1" or so and weighs around 95-100#. She told me once that she knows how people get aneroxia because she knows she is skinny but still looks in the mirror and thinks there is fat. I look at her and think she looks fragile, she is developing a bit of a humpback and she lacks physical strength (I know this because we are horse people and she can barely lift a saddle) - she reminds me of a very well groomed, expensively dressed granny which I guess is just what she is!

I didnt binge/purge either but had a strong appetitte, pretty much ready for another meal within a few hours of the last, - insatiable at times -carb lover, grazer AND being post menopausal woman I dont seem to need much food. It still shocks me just how little food I actually need and frankly you dont need to overeat by a lot to stay fat....

No cream or lotion shrinks your skin. Your own body, genetics, age, amount of weight lost etc all determine that. I do think that general good health, working out, building up muscle tone, drinking Water, getting good nutrtion help you get the very best results possible. Spanx and other shapewear really solve much of the how you look in form fitting clothes too. It is a myth that losing weight fast causes hanging skin. The extra skin came from obesity, it just becomes noticable as the weight comes off.

I am a person that hear the siren song of food... even if I am not hungry. It is like crack or something. The only way I can avoid snacking on sweet or salty food in the evening is to not have it in the house. I won't drive to the store to indulge, but I will roam my kitchen. I guess self awareness is half the battle - btW this is one reason I will never date someone who is a real foodie. It is so much easier for me to be around the type of person who doesn't care much about food, that attitude helps me and I don't even know why... shifts focus I guess. Maybe someday food will lose its power over me but right now I see it as the demon that is under control, but still lurking. Part of the problem is I just NEED so little to maintain... doesn't take much to go off the rails so to speak. Sometimes I miss recreational eating, but mostly I see it like it is - an unhealthy substitute for what it is I really want and need in my life.

Dr Sauceda is in Monterrey. For security reasons, it is better to NOT drive. The area he is in is quite secure, but due to the war on drugs, it is better to not be driving around the small towns in the border area. I felt completely safe, but the doc basiclly sequesters the patients in a very good upscale area and you never go anywhere without a "driver"- either the surgeon's driver or the hotel shuttle. I experienced constipation the first several days post op and it was not good. I did not know my body would react to morphine that way. Anyway, that was a very short term problem and all has been good since. I got implants, but small ones - 240cc. I had been wearing padded bras so nobody notices the implants, what they notice is that I have an "hourglass" figure. They always assume it is because my waist is so much smaller. This is exactly what I wanted, but many many women go for much larger implants. I just wanted to feel normal, balanced, and athletic. I had a fear of big implants making me look top heavy since I have wide shoulders and big ribcage. I am pleased - and the surgeon will do whatever it is you want. I think that what I am happiest with is that I articulated the overall "look" I was hoping for and I feel like that is exactly what I got. And as you know, I was so conflicted about doing the arm and I am SO GLAD I did them, those result probably thrill me the most. It is winter and wet and nasty in Seattle but my friends see my shape difference even under winter clothes. I have had 3 people now tell me that from a distance they weren't sure it was me - like the hair is right, but the body is way better...lol. Anyway, I am rambling. Globe, when you get ready for plastics, I have lots of info to share as I researched both USA and Mexico options. I would seriously consider going to India too - it is jut such a long flight and I didnt have support there either. Also, plastics are somewhat of an "art" and I wanted to be sure the surgeon was familiar with American astehtics, ideals, and caucasion body types because subtle differences really make a difference. For example, my main request was I did not want a "boy shape" that some people get from lower body lift. Dr S seemed to know exactlty what I meant and I still have womanly curves so just thrilled with that.

It's funny, i am still off work but can't keep up with all the posts on this forum! I do read every post on this thread! I am glad that Globe and Brown brought up the "fat girl" topic as this has been on my mind lately. When I started this process, my dream was to get under 200# and maintain it. I wasnt sure that was even possible. Then, I realized it was and I decided to set my goal at 158 - to lose an even 150#. I maintained that for 6 months, BMI in the 25-26 range and feltgreat about it. I have ALWAYS been fat, even when I wasn't that fat. Back in my youth, teen girls weighed 100# and I weighed 140-160 - know what I mean? Anyway, I bounced over the high end of my goal range so decided to do 5:2 and somehow miraculously got down to 149. I had it set in my head I should be able to maintain at 148 (ie range of 145-148) since I lost 5.5# of skin. Due to swelling, inactivity and that maybe the Gods are angry with me, I am instead maintaining at 152-153 right now. I have been discouraged and then yesterday it hit me... wtf???? A year ago, heck, 6 months ago I would have lept for joy to see 153 on the scale, so why am I suddenly so ungrateful? Why do I sometimes feel FAT compared to many of the vets on this VST forum? My BMI is now just under 25 and I see people with BMI in the low20 complaining about how fat they are. It has triggered some of those old negative thoughts about myself. Here is the truth, even 10# heavier and pre plastics, people around me all think I look good. I was so strong, vibrant, healthy, my skin glows, my hair looks great. My boyfriend (tall and skinny guy) always told me I looked like a million bucks and really know how to dress and look good. Anyway, I guess the point I am trying to make is I think we all need to take a little step back. Honestly, a fewpounds up or down does not make your life better or worse. Others scarcely notice it. It seems like at times it borders on an unhealthy, self absorbed point of view. The whole freaking world does NOT CARE what size pants we can stuff our butts into. I have reflected on my own "immaturity" on this subject and I think it is because I was alway fat compared to my same age peers and I missed out on "growing out of this "self absorption". I have something similar going on about my face. My boyfriend (and in fact even the single dates I went out on) I always had men tell me that I have a very pretty face - because I smile and am lively looking, When I look in the mirror, I see OLD. I think one again it is decades of just avoiding looking at myself too closely. Now, when I see those wrinkles, and neck wattle it makes me feel sad. I think my sadnes is really about the decades that my face spent buried under morbid obesity, it isnt really about what it looks like right now. Anyway, I know that some of us in this group are still working to get to a healthy weight range and I don't mean to discount that... I do think that all of us though need to be a little less self critical and a little more self loving. I generally feel good about my body until I start comparing myself to others - it just isn't productive. Curious if any of this resonates with the rest of you?

Daisy, I love it. I have one criticism and it is minor. I think too much of it reads "I like abc". The word "I" starts alot of sentences and paragraphs. It seems to me that it would read better, more naturally, if some of the sentences were reworded. Having said that, not sure i qualify as an expert as to what guys want. i get lots of emails from my POF profile but seldom from men that interest me. Clearly, I haven't hit the magical formula. My POF profile was inactivated or so I thought, but I did something to rectivate it...I have not actually been emailing people etc since like this last summer.

I have given entirely the wrong impression - my friendship with Steven has been the best thing for me over the last 6 months. He has helped me move through a certain process, about how I see myself, my self image, re-discovering my sexuality, and alot of other things. He told me, when we first met that he didn't have time for a fulltime girlfriend. He was honest and clear from the beginning and at the time, there was some "safety" for me in that. I don't mean to brag, but i am highly verbal and have a history of men falling in love with me, and me with them... based on that ability to really connect with someone. I wanted the fun part of a relationship but basically with someone who was unavailable. Steven is single, but due to things in his life, not truly available. He also lied to me about his age - i would have never dated someone 16 years older then me had I known (I know why he did it, he is super fit and active and physically younger then his chronilogical age). One of the things he told me... after we had been seeing each other maybe 2 months that it was his mission to get me to see myself the way he does. That I am pretty, sexy, fun to be around, - someone desirable to men. He is a big advocate of me in every way. He is very verbal and expressive and we discuss all of this stuff, my evolving "needs". He admits to me that he has been angling on how he can keep me around; we do have feelings for each other. I think we have had a little bit of a "dance" about what is best for each other, for ourselves. To be perfectly honest, what I really WANT is for 2014 to be a year of discovery, i have so many things I want to do. I wish I had more of him so I could continue with a low maintenance "relationship" which gives me some of the wonderful things while leaving me space in my life for my ongoing growth. I know that won't work though - he just always makes the choice to add crazy and chaos to his life and over time that will lead me to be unhappy. I don't fully understand him - I know he is untreated ADHD. He is also going through a rough patch in the bigger frame of his life - something I think we can all relate to. Whatever the reasons, it is what it is. I am thinking that after the holidays I will take on dating as a project again...haha. Hence, I want decent photos. I am picky picky about this - I know what I want and it won't be easy to find.

So Daisy, sounds like you think a facelift is worth it. I like my face fine, but, i definately have the chin wattle thing from all the weight loss. My arms are amazing from plastics. I still can't get over it. Rest of it is good too, but I guess I have fixated on having normal looking arms...lol I HATE recovery though, can't believe I am even asking someone about a facelift after this life in hell recovery. I didn't hear much of the details about allen, but I am guessing that he had good attributes too and that you really miss him. I guess you also feel sad for the "what it could have been" I feel sadness over knowing that I have made the decision to find a real boyfriend. I am very attached to my part time boyfriend and I know he has strong feelings for me. Problem is, he has ISSUES. He told me from day one he isn't really boyfriend material and he wasn't kiddin. It still makes me very sad because we have such chemistry and he truly makes me feel like a Goddess. Sadly, I hardly see him and he is not the type that is really "there for you" so ... he needs replacing even though what my heart really wants is for him to become a fulltime boyfriend. That isn't going to happen and he is too old for me anyway... but the heart still feels sadness for "what might have been" had things been different. anyway, I am thinking about improved photos, thinking about speed dating instead of just the online thing and thinking about date night clothes. OF course everything looks like crap over compression garments because they make my ass look weird. All my photos are basically cell phone shots and they generall suck. I would like to find someone who has a great camera to do natural looking GOOD pics, NOT like portrait studio shots. Daisy, why do you say you still look fat? Sounds vaguely dismorphic to me.... one thing I have learned about men is that they are not as picky about women being full figured as I once thought. Honestly, I got more looks from men when I was 20# heavier.

I think it is a mistake (and I just added to it) to try to defend the sleeve. I had a lapband for 10 years and it is a very personal pain point to see that of the people looking into wls and are attracted to the benefits of the band (sounds less invasive and lower risk) - most of them will not have long term success. In my nonmedical opinion, it was VERY invasive. The scar from that port reminds me how weird it felt to have that thing in my side. May sound odd, but I don't feel like a WLS patient with the sleeve wheareas i always did with the band - due to that port. Anyway, we all make our choices and lets me honest, there are sleevers who do have significant regain etc too. Just let that crazy lady rant and let everyone come to their own conclusions.

I had a lapband for 10 years. I revised to a gastric sleeve 2 years ago. It was interesting going back through my paperwork from being banded and I found the brochure from the lapband manufacturer that clearly stated it was a "temporary" device and would ilkely need to be removed in the future. In addition, my surgeon had me sign a letter saying that I understood that the lapband was temporary and had a high probababilty of needing removal. It is funny, I didn't remember signing it, but I can imagine that I had dellusions that once i lost weight life would be hunky dory and I wouldn't "need" the WLS tool anymore. What I noticed back when I was deeply involved in the lapband online support groups (yahoo bandster group days) there was a lot of blaming the patient for problems. I think it was a misguided attempt to help people under stand the importance of "compliance". All weight loss surgeries require "compliance" at some level, right? My personal experience is that the band was just trickier to be compliant with. Different people have different experiences, but what I observed in myself and in the group of "peers" that had the lapband at the same time as I did is that the issues showed up later. To me, the biggest issue with the band was not the follow up needs (ie fills) but rather that I had a hard time eating dense Protein and raw veggies so I went from being a fairly healthy "overeater" to being the queen of slider carbs while banded. Perhaps, if I had the right education and support that would have not happened, I don't know. It doesn't really matter because I eventually wound up with terrible reflux so all Fluid had to be removed and then eventually with slippage. BTW, my band was never filled super tight and the only reason it was "unfilled" was to try to address the reflux. I am early days in my sleeve journey - been maintaining 150+ loss since Feb 2013. It took me 14 months to lose that weight. I don't actually KNOW yet what my 10 year journey will look like yet, but I have a good idea based on others who have gone before me. I find this sort of "my weight loss surgery is better then yours" to be silly - we all have our reasons for our choices and I just think people should be educated as to what they are "getting into". I do know one person who has been banded more then a decade and is still at her goal weight! First surgeon I went to to discuss revision indicated I needed gastric bypass since I wasn't likely to be a success with the sleeve. For my own (probably irrational) reasons i could not wrap my head around the gastric bypass. I went somewhere else where they discussed the sleeve with me. I had to think about it for another 6 months - all the same concerns I hear on these posts "don't want my stomach chopped". I have an entirely different view about it now. My stomach was just too big, I like having a smaller stomach. I still have to "work it" but this makes it possible for me to live a fit and healthy weight life. I did alot of research and know well the possible longer term risks for the sleeve, but, frankly, it is not high risk. And as always, the people who continue to be "compliant" do better and have few complications. For me, the lapband just didn't work well. I had alot of pain and discomfort and while I did lose weight, I did not have stellar success even before I had to be unfilled. Best of luck to all of us in getting the weight off and controlling this disease of obesity.

Amanda, Dr Sauceda anestheologist uses, when possible, twilight sedation combined with an epidural instead of general anesthesia. They also put a pain reliever in the epidural that is effective for a day so you wake up from surgery feeling pretty good. What that means is that you breath on your own the whole time and don't have some of the negatives of general. I personally get very sick to my stomach with general - they have to pump me full of anti naseau drugs and I still feel queasy and yucky. Some surgeries are done this way in the usa, but not usually plastic surgeries. I consulted with a PS in the USA that had a shoulder surgery done using twilight and he was a big advocated since you recover easier (initial recovery) without the general anesthesia. i am a little unclear why it is not more commonly used in the usa, but i think it has to do with the risk of lawsuits for any doctor that does anything "different". Lisadaze, here is a piece of advice from someone who has lost alot of weight. Don't worry about skin or plastics or any of that. Focus on the positives, focus on losing some weight and regaining good health. Focus on enjoying your new body. Honestly, life is SOOO much better at half my former size, plastics is only icing on the cake - I could have been quite happy without without it. You know, alot of this journey for me personally has been learning to love my self and my body more unconditionally. Accepting my imperfections with the confidence that in the "big picture" I like myself and who I am. What I have noticed is that people that don't make that mental shift are not happy with their plastic surgery results either - even when they have great results. my results are NOT perfect, but significantly improved. What PS did for me was make me feel like my body looks pretty normal for a 49 year old woman, and if I may pat myself on the back, better then what i typically see at my local grocery store because i am fitter than many women my age range.

Glad it is hidden. It was weird having people just land in here, lost in space... I am having a minor complication. I had alot of fluid output but that last drain was just done after 4 weeks from surgery and self expelled. Anyway, I am having some fluid build up but so far hasn't need to be aspirated yet. Solution is for me to be even LESS active. No big deal, but annoying. I really thought I would be better by now. My PCP said she had several friends/family members do mommy makeovers and it is like the duration and "drag" of the recovery is not well advertised...LOL... it takes longer and just goes slower then expected for some of us. i might have done too much the other day too. Daisy, we never connected on the online dating profile, I am still game to give feedback but i almost wonder if a guy wouldnt do better. I am not sure I know what they are looking for. My current theory is they only care about the picture so I am going to get better ones!

Everyone has to decide themselves but they should talk to revision patients. Band 10 years of struggles and still being obese. Sleeve only 2 years but much much better tool. I think many surgeons are backing away from band.

Uh I am at goal.

Ok great info. Buckle and Nordys at two nearby malls. Sleeved in Seattle - in about 2 weeks I will be permitted to run wild without compression garments so would love to go shopping.

I have never head of the Buckle. I just googled Miss Me jeans and their website is almost all acid wash is why I asked. What big retailer sells these? I found the most perfect boot soft leather, cute, well made, comfy, but it was at a consignment shop and a size too big...arrgghh. Of course I searched online for that same boot and no luck yet. Still keeping my eyes out for a new tall boot with a heel. I have ankle boots with chunky heels. I have somewhat thinner calves so many of the boots I have tried on have too much width.

I am in the Seattle area. I was a band to sleeve revision and a big fan of PSSC - Drs Landerholm and Billing changed my life!

So far my motivation comes from knowing how GOOD it feels to be fit. I am recovering from major platics surgery and this being "disabled" is misery and reminds me of being obese. Good reminder that i never ever ever want to be in that health and physical condition again.

I won't jump ship - I cannot be deterred that easily!!! But, I was thinking... does that make "us" old timers now??? haha I knew that tiff got really busy raising babies and LilMissDiva switched over to MFP more before she disappeared. OTR just fell of the face of the earth as far as I can tell though. Tiff was my inspiration though and one of the reasons I stay around is that i felt so HOPELESS after failing with the band and Tiff was one of the people that helped me see that it was worth trying again. She was so right and modeled the behavior it took to find success. Actually, I find on my laptop this site works just fine. It is still a bit o a challenge on my kindle and phone. ehh... I'll survive. GG - coke bottle is a weird comment, i have never heard that one either. I have been called voluptous. Which to me sounds kinda fat...lol... but fat in the right places i guess. Anyway, you ARE looking awesome! Bean - hookers eh. I would settle for strippers. I saw a movie preview or something of those guy dancers from down under and thought... yeah, we need thunder from down under around here! Man, I am bored that i am contemplated mostly naked dancing men on a forum.

So, I am going to try fasting today. I went out last night and so woke up still "satiated" which gave me the courage to try. Since my last drain self destructed I am retaining water, but not bad. Signed 152# so I haven't blown up huge yet. I am going through some sadness right now over my social life and needed changes. Damn I hate feeling this way.

OMG...if I weren't so tired I would be rolling on the floor laughing. A chuckle will have to do. I am in dire need of enabling of my clothes shopping. I have done pretty well at my discount stores but I want a couple of really amazing date night outfits and need shopping advice. All of my girlfriends are fleece wearing fuddy duddies so I dont trust em on this topic. My friend I saw last night cracked me up. I showed him my arms and how well they are healing and he said "can't wait till summer and you break out those hot dresses of yours". I was like..hmmm...maybe I do need fuddy duddy fleece wearing friends to help me shop. Argghh